Amity, Have you considered using eraseable pen? Sometimes that makes a difference because using a pen is less taxing than pencil on paper. I really like the Frixon ones.

We went the route of Jousting Armadillos and then AOPS pre-algebra. My son decided to stop BA and wanted to go on to pre-algebra. It is not as text dense as AOPS. He knocked it out pretty quickly. It was useful for us as a transition to a text with no pictures and learning to read a text. It is also discovery method which is also similar to AOPS. So far, he has not really had a problem working through the text on his own. JA was also good training in writing out problems on paper (neatly!) and how to work out problems so that it is logical and legible. He liked Linus' sense of humor in the book. The JA book is pretty uncluttered. A big shift for him was that the expectation was that he should not be able to get 100% correct in AOPS and that making mistakes and going back and rethinking through was necessary. He is used to doing that in math circle, but not in his core math curricula. JA wasn't hard for him, so it was a pretty easy ramp into AOPS for my 9yo after that. Since time was on our side, I wanted to equip him with the tools I thought he would have to rely on to handle AOPS PA. He watches the videos after he works the problem sets. I actually am not sure how much he does on Alcumus. He pretty much works through a section a day. Sometimes we will split a section that has more material and problems into two days. I usually tell him to set a timer for 45 minutes for those sections and for when he is working through the review and challenge sections. With the starred problems, he will ask for help. Usually I ask him first if he gave it a try and if so, what did he try so that we can talk about his dialogue. Then I will ask questions about aspects of the problem that he may not have considered. I usually never tell him how to solve a problem. This is the approach I use in math circle so that the problem solving remains more self-directed and that he learns from mistakes he made as there are often useful things that can be discovered from going down different paths.

I can't speak to the app since I have the HOE set. There are DVD lessons that explain and teach you to solve using the manipulatives. Have you flipped through the book? There are full solutions in there as well.

I agree with wendyroo. If you just get the HOE program and don't get this book, you miss the best part of it. I don't mean the intro book, it's the thick one. I ordered my through Rainbow Resource. http://www.borenson.com/AboutHandsOnEquations/VerbalProblemsBook/tabid/843/Default.aspx I thought HOE Fractions was pretty good for cementing fractions using manipulatives. It seemed to help cement things. I think I used it after SM3b to cement things because I noticed his grasp of fractions wasn't completely where I thought it should be. I could have used it earlier. I did use both SM and BA a level behind, so it must have also been during BA3.

In CA, there is a mix of traditional sequence and integrated math sequence depending on the school and/or district. The high school local to me acutally offers both sequences for math. It's a top ranked high school with loads of APs and a IB program on a trimester system.

Airykah, The classes are not secular. If you read my post linked above I explain their philosophy.

I only have experience with their Latin for Children class. It was a really good experience for us. Not sure if my review of that would help you at all.

Does anyone know where this master thread went? It's was really useful. I thought it was pinned, but I don't see it anymore.

I haven't compared them, but my fellow PhD biologist mom friend selected Shepherd's life science to teach our two boys. They are both accelerated learners who are ready for a middle school science course.

If your kiddo likes online learning, Headventureland is pretty fun for Latin practice for SSL. They give a pretty generous access to try out the first 3 chapters. It's pretty inexpensive for a year of access for $19.95. http://headventureland.com/moodle/

Free! "Fitting-It-All-In Homeschool Summit. April 30-May 5 (Christian Homeschooling) You won’t be strangled into perfection. But you will be empowered to rely on God’s grace and seek His wisdom. Through a week of online speaker interview video sessions, group discussion, and resource discounts, you will receive Christ-centered help and hope for: Deciding what matters to your family It’s the first step – narrowing your “it” so it’s actually possible for you to fit it in. Creating a workable homeschool plan Next up – putting your priorities into actionable strategies so you can make them happen. Keeping your path centered on the eternal And most importantly, knowing God’s purpose for your family will help you say no to distractions – good or bad. …and all of this in the midst of real life happening. Because as followers of Jesus Christ, our light can shine in the midst of the craziness to bring Him glory. https://homeschoolsummits.com/fitting/

Mine is accelerated in math so we used it to bridge between finishing SM5 and half way through BA5 (he decided he didn't want to finish BA). He did it in about 8 weeks. He says that he want to get to Algebra but I won't let him bypass Pre-Algebra. So JA was a quick pass through, and we are doing AOPS now. The step up in text and no illustrations without being as dense as AOPS worked for us. About 1/3 of Jacobs is a review of pre-algebra topics. https://www.askdrcallahan.com/hwhdocs/Algebra Tableof Contents.pdf

For SSL, there is a pronunciation guide in the front on the book. If you are asking if throughout the book, there is pronunciation next to vocab, then no. There are audio files for the pronunciation of the vocabulary that you can download that are chapter by chapter.

We used SM as our main math, and BA was used a level behind to deepen understanding. It was helpful to us to have two different approaches to math. It kept BA focused on problem solving skills.

It was a stop gap for us, my son actually chose not to finish BA5 after doing 5A. He did finish already finish SM5. JA was a pretty quick run through for us, and we've moved on to AOPS. It was a good transition from no cute illustrations to straight up textbook without quite being so text heavy as AOPS. He actually really likes Linus' tone and style. So far, so good. though we aren't doing it with any class so we can move at our own pace. It's up to him how fast or slow that will be.

AB 2756 was killed. Homeschoolers turned out in full force at the capitol filled I am very grateful to those who were able to travel in person to make their opposition to this bill heard. They failed to even make a motion on the bill after thousands of homeschoolers lined up to voice their opposition in person. There were so many lined up for the microphones to register their opposition that it took 3 hours to get through the line. The sergeant at arms said it was the biggest turnout they've ever seen. Capital employees were overheard saying that they've never seen anything like this. By failing to act on a bill in committee, the bill is effectively killed. The sneaky aspect of this is that a bill gets killed without any committee member having to go on record with a vote.

This is pretty spot on. When your kiddo is an outlier, what is out there designed to meet vast majority is not going to be a good fit. It's either pay for the stuff directly targeted to the gifted or build/create it yourself. I do a lot of the latter and some of the former though mostly in the form of online classes. He gets sensory overloaded by all day programs, so those CTY summer programs would not be a good solution for us. Everything tends to be really grade/age banded, and all the public schooled kids are very conscious of that. We were fortunate this year to allowed to join the local Math Olympiad at our local elementary. My DH said it is a good thing our son ended up tying for first place. He didn't think it would have gone over very well as the only homeschooler. Normally, they don't let 3rd graders participate since it is 4th/5th, but this local elementary had opened it up to any of their 3rd graders.

Mine did SSL and really loved it. We moved right into the new version of Latin for Children A. He says he really loves Latin, so we are headed to LFC B next.

I don't have a 2e kid, but I saw this available today. Free online summit "Bright and Quirky" kids. This is aimed at parenting the 2E population. Sessions are free for 24 hours. April 25-30. Being 2e means that you have two (or more) exceptions to the ‘norm.’ Most commonly this means having high intellectual potential and one or more anomalies that make accessing that potential a unique endeavor. In the classic medical model, 2e kids often have symptoms of diagnoses such as ADHD, learning disabilities like dyslexia, high functioning autism, anxiety, depression or oppositional defiant disorder. The result is that a lot of kids feel like square pegs in round holes and feel stuck with a negative label which can lead to anxiety, irritability, frustration, negative self-concept and low self-esteem. For parents, this can lead to sleepless nights, second guessing, and feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, confused and alone. https://www.positiveimpactfamily.com/bright-quirky-conference-2018/

The Anatomy and Chem/Physics is a bit light for middle school IMO. As both were written for up to 6th. I would be looking for a stronger program with more structured labs if you have STEM oriented kid or headed on a more college prep path.

You probably could do it. It's the least favorite in our house for Apologia elementary. I'm sucking it up and trudging through Zoology 3 right now. I think you asked about science courses in another post, right? I would totally rather do the anatomy & physiology one with an 11-12 year old or the chem & physics one.

I saw this article about that wearable tech that MIT lab developed that hears your silent thoughts. It's amazing, but it creeps me out. I just know I will be one of those who won't adopt integrating tech into my body. Wearable tech bothers me as well when I think about the unknown health ramifications. https://www.engadget.com/2018/04/06/mit-wearable-silent-words/

MarkT, What did your son think of the course? I saw this review from a few years ago by Suki Wessling who teaches for Athena's Academy. http://blog.sukiwessling.com/2013/06/uc-scout-curriculum-a-new-option-for-homeschoolers/

Are you looking at grade-equivalent scores? This is what that means. GRADE-EQUIVALENT SCORES The Grade-Equivalent score compares your child’s performance on grade-level material against the average performance of students at other grade levels on that same material and is reported in terms of grade level and months. If your 5th grade child obtains a grade-equivalent of 10.5 on a standardized math or reading test, it does not mean that your child is solving math problems or reading at the mid-10th grade level. It means that she or he can solve 5th grade math problems and read 5th grade material as well as the average 10th grade student can read and solve 5th grade math problems. Your child is performing much better than the average 5th grader but most likely would not perform as well if tested using 10th grade material as they have not yet been exposed to 10th grade material. Caution should always be used when interpreting grade equivalents, especially when attempting to use grade equivalents as the basis for a grade placement discussion.