He has taken all the required courses except for science which he is planning on taking Spring term (either Astronomy or Chemistry). I am considering ALL the classes he has taken. Thats why I'm disgruntled with the system because they won't accept non-accredited courses (ie- homeschool courses, co-op, etc.)

That's what I'm dealing with also. I really dont think it's the diploma that they are concerned with so much but the actual transcripts.

I am burnt out on co-op and would like to find homeschoolers that live close to Mt. Hood. Specifically Sandy, Brightwood, Welches, Rhododendron, & Boring but not excluding any of the Portland metro area. Playdates, Cubscouts, etc. would be fun to know other families in the area.

My ds17 has been taking classes through a local charter school which gives the student a stipend to attend community college at no additional cost to us. It even pays for most of his books. The problem is, the school is requiring him to take more classes in order to graduate because they will not recognize the credits he earned at homeschool. I understand why they are requiring this but I feel that it is absolutely ridiculous to make him go through an additional year of school because of this. He was a good student and took the same classes at home that they are requiring him to take with their program. We live in Oregon, so we are in a very good state to homeschool. We really have no requirements for attendance, only that they have to be in school. There are no specific requirements for classes to take. What I'd like to do is just graduate him on my own -on time- outside of their system. Does anyone have any experience with a situation like this?

Rainbow says that workbook three uses NKJV and KJV, but does not mention the preceding workbooks.

I will look in to NAC more and try to find out what version they use. I've looked at Startwrite but they only offer it for the PC and I have a Mac. There is one other software out there (I can't remember the name) but I'd really like something that is already printed and ready to go.

I read through but I'm needing to start implementing everything. Bone broth sounds great but I haven't started with beef because we bought 1/4 side of beef and the butcher gave it back to us bad. I think he gave us old meat that wasn't ours but we can't prove it. So, I'm having to work on other things right now. That was very expensive. Our dog wont even eat it. I have made chicken stock and it was delicious. I also made the lacto-fermented beets and oh my gosh they were so good. We dont have a source for raw-dairy anymore but I can get some raw cheese from New Seasons (our local whole foods grocery store). I have also made Kombucha and I also made the buttermilk pancake recipe and they were so much better than packaged pancake mix.

Oriental chicken salad sounds yummy! I like to refer to it as a how to as well for the same reason. I'd like to utilize more recipes though.

The only liver I can stomach is chicken liver. I just cant do beef :ack2:

I will try this!. I can't stand the idea of Campbell's, yet it is the only canned soup that tastes half way decent. Soup is a good place to start.

I'm not necessarily looking for scripture, but if scripture is part of the curriculum I'd like KJV or NKJV simply because that seems to be a safe translation and closer to what we personally read so there would be no confusion. Are you using NAC?

I have used A Reason for Handwriting levels K and A but I think that I'm ready to look for a different program. I'm not thrilled with the use of the Living translation of the Bible verses and I'd like to find something that either uses NKJV or even KJV instead. I do like that the work has a purpose not just silly writing like "the quick brown fox..." I can't stand that and neither can my ds. Does anyone have a favorite that they can share? I've looked up Cathy Duffy's reviews and she doesnt have many favorites except for the usual HWOT, Italic handwriting, and ARfH. When ds7 was in the charter school, I had ordered New American Cursive and it seemed okay but it seemed to only teach letter formation if I remember correctly. When we left the charter school and started homeschooling on our own, I had to return the book but we had barely started using it. Has anyone used MP's copybooks to go along with NAC? Would Veritas Press be a good fit? I forgot to mention that ds7 is ready to start cursive. I'm not concerned about manuscript because I work with him on that when he does his copywork.

One resource that my husband and I keep going to as a resource for religious studies (You didnt mention this in your OP, but thought I'd add it in just in case) is Church History in Plain Language by Bruce Shelley. It is a book that our Bible college required us to read and I've seen it as a resource for many upper-grade courses in high school. It is an excellent, easy to read, unbiased history book. I also suggest SWB's The Well Educated Mind or her upper level books (which you can also listen to on Audible - The History of the ... World. Norton Anthologies is also good. Ds17 used Norton for one of his classes at the community college and I was impressed. Teaching the Classics by Adam and Missy Andrews is an incredible resource for teaching literature to all ages. I'm going through it right now and I am seriously impressed.

The information I have found and looked up says that Saxon is spiral. Be it a slower spiral, but spiral none the less. I think their website says its "incremental" which is just another way of saying that it's spiral. I just strongly caution parents that want to use Saxon with students that are struggling with concepts. I'm speaking from my own experience of course, but I've also talked to many homeschool families in my co-op and they have had similar experiences.

I've been thinking about doing this. Glad to know it's not a foreign thought.

I'm all ears. :bigear: I can't stand Usborne and Kingfisher is on its way out because it's out of print (???) but even then Kingfisher is just okay.

Thank you for that! I needed a good laugh today. :lol: (I dont know why that seems so funny but I think it's because I know what your talking about). It's so true about the unnecessary "jargon". I've just written it off because I know she is talking to a younger crowd. I have SL Science B which sounds a lot like the WTM science but there is just something about it that I dont like. Maybe it's the worksheets, or the use of the USborne books that are so choppy to read. Am I the only one that can't stand Usborne books like this?

SCM is great in concept. I used it last year with ds17 and as is was a neat program it was a lot of work. I felt it was unnecessary especially when we are already going to church 2-3 x's a week. I suggest downloading a Bible app and doing a children's devotional with the kids. Bible study can be hard. I will say however, that SCM's Scripture Memory Box is a WONDERFUL thing and it is free. It is incredible how easy her system works once you put it together. I can't say enough about it! Just be sure not to turn it into a school subject. The kids need us to show them that we are "devoting" time to the Lord not making it drudgery. (I'm preaching to the choir.) :Angel_anim:

BJU math is great for the older kids. It has a similar scope and sequence as private schools. I can't say much for public schools anymore because they are all moving over to common core. However, many of the math programs align with common core so it should be fine.

If you are wanting mastery, then moving over to a spiral approach may cause way more problems. Spiral does not teach mastery. I tried doing this with ds17 and it was a disaster. Saxon is not always the best when the child is struggling with concepts. I suggest trying a different mastery based program like Math-U-See or Rod & Staff, etc and take your time going back to the basic to fill in the gaps.

I am curious to hear what your favorite Nourishing Traditions recipes are. I like to get feedback so I know which recipes to try first!

Artistic Pursuits. It is very open and go. Also Susan Evans has lots of projects on her website ( susanevans.org ) through unit studies which may work as well.

Copywork is important to do by hand as it is also a way to work on handwriting. There is a neurological connection when pencil hits paper. I allowed ds17 (when he was that age) to type his narrations but not copywork. I think allowing them to type their narrations is also a wonderful use of keyboard time.

I am following this post as I feel that I am in a similar situation. I have the smallest house but to add to that, I am in a wheelchair so I can't get in to many homes. I am seriously considering joining the new "Trail Life" for ds7 simply for getting him around other boys his age that is in a wholesome environment and is something he can look forward to every week. I have been in co-op for the past year and I'm not all that thrilled with it. It's expensive, I don't like the commitment I'm required to make (4 hours), and there still isn't enough playtime for the kids. It's really hard sometimes because many homeschoolers are very reclusive, and the others are overly active. I'd like to start a co-op that can meet at homes instead of a church / public building because otherwise we have to pay for the use of the building. I am also considering martial arts but it's $40/month plus gear. I can't stand having to pay monthly fees. At least with Cubscouts/Trail Life it's a one time fee to join and the uniform. I live in the Pacific NW and it's cold and wet right now, so going outside and playing won't fly. I've used "SignUpGenius.com" to invite other families to playdates that I have scheduled indoors at the local skating rink, bouncy house place, and jungle gym. The turn-outs have been good but most of the families that rsvp are the co-op families and no one else. I feel like if I dont do co-op then he wont get any socialization outside of church on Sundays and Wednesdays. He needs to develop real true friendships.

Paula's Archives has some resources listed. I'm not sure what all is on there but it is helpful. Here's the link: http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/movies.htm