Geometry (Jacobs) Biology (Abeka supplemented by a biology text by Holt Publishing) Inklings (STAR Academics) World Geography (Not sure yet) Sign Language Latin (Cambridge Latin Course)

DS is entering 9th grade. Have a dd who is a junior.

Might want to look at Cambridge Latin -- kids learn through grammar lessons and reading stories about the Latin word--downside, less drill. upside, higher interest maintained.

I have a ds who is really good with math and getting bored... I used Lial Introductory Algebra this year and am planning to use Jacob's Geometry next year. I just encountered AoPS--sounds like it may be good for him, but I wanted some input on that program. How is it different from Lial and Jacob's?

If you want a short book as a spine and want to read primary sources along with it, I would recommend using Bennet & Hollister A Short History of The Middle Ages and using Patrick Geary's Medieval Reader along with it. Geary's reader gives you a wide variety of primary sources to discuss. There's also another series of primary source readers for the middle ages put out by Dutton that would allow for more depth in the early medieval period.

So what advice would you give to someone who is going back into the workforce after a break and who will be continuing to homeschool? How do you maintain balance?

we homeschool because I want my kids to learn to think and to be challenged.

margaret Lial has a series with Prentice-Hall for Algebra--you can get videos with the series as well as a student solutions manual for the odd problems. It's a college algebra series

I tried the Latina Christiana, Latin Road to English Grammar, and Cambridge Latin Course. And I found with both my kids that the Cambridge Latin Course has been by far the best fit. It is a reading rather than a grammar based curriculum. One grammar concept is taught per stage and then used throughout the readings that are in the text. The activity masters and the workbook help provide extra practice and there also are books you can get that have extra reading practice. There is a CD that can be purchased so that you can hear Latin spoken. You can also purchase tests for each Stage. One caveat, the tests are multiple-choice. While it helps to know Latin when teaching the Cambridge Latin course, it isn't absolutely necessary if you are willing to learn along with your child. There is a lot of cultural information built into the curriculum as well, so it would fold nicely into discussions of the ancient world.

I'm one of those who did manage to keep my merit scholarship all four years. It meant having to constantly keep an eye on my GPA, but it can be done--even if dealing with major culture shock one's freshman year, as I was.

I think that probably the best place to start would be with something that she likes and that you feel comfortable working with her on.... Just to get her used to doing school at home. Is there a kind of book she really likes? If so, pick one and just start reading together and ease into things. Then when you feel she is ready, add something else. I have a relative with aspergers and one thing that is essential for him is routine and no surprises. I don't know if your dd is like that or not.

My ds used Abeka World History and I would say use this with caution. The slant of the textbook is extreme to the point of obscuring a reasonable perspective on the past. On the other hand, we had lots of discussions about what history is, how historians synthesize the primary source evidence that they gather, and how worldview can affect their interpretation of that evidence.

So I'm planning for my dd's junior year while trying to keep in mind that my ds is coming behind her. I'd be interested in hearing what different people use for Chemistry (looking into Thinkwell and Apologia--what else is out there?) Pre-Calculus (Again looking into Thinkwell--but would love to hear about other options). I should note that I think in order to do well in math, my dd needs daily instruction by someone who understands the subject well -- I'd be reteaching myself along with teaching her, so I'd be looking for a curriculum that is very easy to understand. Thanks

Thanks Pamela, I appreciate the response. In thinking about it, I do think it was not having enough time to interact with friends outside the house. My ds doesn't care about that (but he needs it). My dd needs social time with her friends. I need to think about this more.

I need some advice from parents who made a later transition to homeschooling. So, we've homeschooled, we've private schooled and we've public schooled (if those last two can be verbs), and now we're at middle school and high school. My ds who is in 6th grade is begging for us to homeschool him because he is bored and basically reads through most of the school day (not that reading is bad). My dd who is going to be in 9th grade next year wants to go to the local high school with her friends--even though she finds school extremely easy and has been told that high school is even easier. I think that homeschool would be the best thing for both of my kids. The academic and moral training would be far superior to the local public school. But I am concerned about my ds. The last time we homeschooled she got scarely depressed (she was a 7th grader then). How do i help her make the transition?