We dropped Spanish for my 8th grader. Never could find the time nor enthusiasm. He will take it when he goes to public high school next year. We switched from Envision Math to Teaching Textbooks for my 6th grader. He wasn't retaining skills and was slowly becoming lost. TT has daily spiral but not as intimidating as Saxon (which is next on the list). He has always had difficulties in math, but loved the video component of Envision. Envision has limited review so he would forget stuff moving into the next topic. We have used the TT program for 2 days so far and he loves it. We shall see. Otherwise, everything else is moving along as planned.

For the last three years, I buy 3 cheap-o $5 planners Success Middle School. I give 2 to the kids (who never use them) and use the third myself. My kids are color coded so I use frixion erasable pens to "pencil in' plans for a week or two and check off when complete or erase and move. Longer term plans are put in notes. I have pages of post-its with lesson and project ideas to cover the front study aid materials. I use the blank lists in the back for books read lists. If I print out assignment lists, I'll just staple them into the week used. My kids have been color coded since the beginning - youngest is Blue, oldest is red, but I use pink as grades are recorded in red. I use green (my color) for 'Joint' tasks for both boys. It might not be the neatest, but it works for me. Color Coded weekly spread. 'Pencil in" Erasable ink plans and check off as completed. Blue - 6th grader, Pink - 8th Grader, Green - Joint tasks. Grades are in Red. Moveable tab on top corner serves as a bookmark. Repurposed 'Hall Pass" for book lists Post It Note ideas plastered on study aid pages.

I am a graduate of Liberty U (distance) and didn't need to specify a church. I will concur that alums can grant incoming students a $500 a year scholarship for residential only. I have called the local high school to let them now I have this scholarship to give away. Only 1 student has taken advantage so far. Now my kids can get an automatic annual $1,000 legacy scholarship if they choose to attend.

I am working through selected chapters of this book with my 6th and 8th-grade boys. They watch over my shoulder as I do the lessons on my computer then I assign them projects to apply what they learned. The book is geared for college students, so I make more age appropriate assignments. It takes me about an 1 hour (20 mintues for 3 days) to complete one of their in-book lessons. YMMV. So far I done the 3 lessons from Word, 3 Power Point and will do 2 Excel lessons in about 9 weeks. The wrote their own papers using Word, created a Power Pointe presentation based on a social studies topic, and plan to do a science report with Excel. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1285169530/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I can't stand progressive lenses, though I need the varied strengths. My first pair of progressives cost me $300 with insurance at the Optometrist. The frame broke during camping trip before the year was out. It would cost $250 to replace the frame. Yay, right. So, I risked a $40 pair from Zenni and never looked back. Well, actually, I decided progressives aren't for me and with the price of Zenni, I now have 3 pairs of glasses I rotate between tasks: driving/reading bifocal, computer/reading bifocal, dedicated readers. I get all three pairs (same frame, color coded for the task) for under $100 with clip-on sunglasses. My son started wearing glasses, too and got his for $35. Love Zenni!

For my kids - that would be way too dry. We do lots of art projects, crash course videos, read alouds, picture books, etc. to spice things up. Even in middle grades! Reading an encyclopedia and outlining would send me to drink. 90 minutes a day? We do social studies for 30 minutes a day - tops. YMMV ETA - here is what I did this week with my 6th (ancients) and 8th (government) 6th - Read 3 lessons in textbook. (~40 minutes over 3 days?). Watch Crash Course history on China. 8th - Read 2 lessons in textbook. (~ 20 minutes over 2 days?) Watch Crash Course videos on congress. Work on PowerPoint presentation on US representatives from TX Joint: Read Aloud "If I were a Kid in Ancient China" and "Where is the Great Wall?". Watch Horrible History Episode. Paint Terra Cotta Soldier craft after reading "Understanding Art" lesson on Ancient China. My blog has more details and pics, if interested.

We just tried our first experiment with them this week. Now that my kids are in middle school (6th and 8th grade) the cheapo Amazon kits weren't cutting it. So, I took the plunge and got our first shipment this week. The equipment looks great - my oldest is having fun with the Macro lens on his ipod. The experiment (tin dendrite) worked as expected. Yes, it is pricey, but I wanted them to have a true lab experience beyond, oh look, the test tube changed colors type stuff. The program has an app that has demo videos and molecule modeling. One of the best benefits is that they give you enough materials to do everything 2-3 times. Perfect for a homeschool with 2 students. Here are pics:

I have used Scott Foresman social studies series for my second grader until middle school when I switch to Holt or Glencoe. Here is a link to the workbooks: http://www.pearsonschool.com/index.cfm?locator=PS1m4k&PMDBSUBCATEGORYID=&PMDBSITEID=5343&PMDBSUBSOLUTIONID=&PMDBSOLUTIONID=40021&PMDBSUBJECTAREAID=&PMDBCATEGORYID=40043&PMDbProgramId=97601&elementType=programComponents Click on the link and select your choice. It goes to a shopping cart - but if you look under the title, there is a "download PDF" link. I found the textbooks for a song on Amazon, eBay, etc. Teacher's manuals are optional, but contain testing, if interested in that. The textbooks are a little dry and sparse, but I always supplement with picture books, biographies, projects, documentaries, field trips, etc. Textbook reading is still only about 50% of the workload in my middle school.

We started Little Women on Monday with my 6th and 8th boys as a read aloud. I got to page 33 (out of 800) in one hour. Forget it. Too long. I think they'll watch the movie and call it good. We are now reading Hunger Games, and moving at my 1 hour a day, will finish it next week. Now, we did invest the 100+ hours to read the Harry Potter series, and it was worth the investment of time. It's Harry Potter! But of the lengthier classics, I just skip. Not to say we don't do them. My oldest read Treasure Island and Tom Sawyer last year in 7th but as quarter long novel studies instead of a group read aloud. Anyways, to answer the original post our list for my youngest 5th grade last year included the following novels: Group Read Aloud: Harry Potter 1,2,3 & 4 Among the Hidden 1 & 2 Lawn Boy Returns Series of Unfortunate Events 1, 2, & 3 Top 10 Ways to Ruin the First Day of 5th Grade The Hundred Dresses The Report Card Holes Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Hank the Cowdog Itch & Itch Rocks The Red Pyramid The Best Hallowe'en Ever Haddix's Found & Sent The Pilgrim Adventure The Christmas Carol Island of the Blue Dolphins Out of the Dust Doll Bones The Penderwicks Trouble Maker (Clements) Loser (Spinelli) Matilda Witch of Blackbird Pond Magnus Chase Sword of Summer My Brother Sam is Dead The Boy in the Striped Pajamas The Wednesday Wars A Wrinkle in Time Swindle Things Not Seen Flora & Ulysses El Deafo The Magic Trap I also assigned him these novel studies: Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe Clementine The Strange Case of Origami Yoda Dear Mr. Henshaw The Cricket in Times Square Hugo Cabret The Borrowers Mr. Popper Penguins I try to mix it up with classics, current and just for fun books. I also start series in hopes they will hook the kids to reading the rest on their own. Your mileage my vary

If you have an iphone or ipad, use SIRI to look up the word. My kids ask her "what does ____ mean?" and she pulls up the definition entry and reads it out loud. Very user friendly, IMHO.

So sorry. My prayers go out for your family.

So far, so good. I have been really pleased with the school year so far. We have finished 3 weeks of our 4th year. This year has its challenges as I am in treatment for breast cancer, but the kids have done really well with independent work and family/Scouts are filling in the field trip and outing holes. You read can about it in my blog: Week 1 https://kidblog.org/class/ZeyAcademy/posts/2qwceqbmv046ub7ysa4qfuhir Week 2 https://kidblog.org/class/ZeyAcademy/posts/0anb3s5w1jgedmibiveuisl03 Week 3 https://kidblog.org/class/ZeyAcademy/posts/cblda3fmi99ewzuen77scf87m Our whole history can be found in my siggie link.

Slightly OT, but my current 8th grader is taking 2 high school level courses: Algebra I and Spanish I. Before starting this year, I contacted the high school to ask how to ease the awarding of credit. They suggested taking the online distance learning classes at Texas Tech University ISD. They will accept that credit/grade earned as a transfer. My son still needs to take the STAAR test in the spring for Algebra I and that will be arranged through the high school as well. YMMV. A friend of my pulled her girl out as a sophomore to homeschool. When she returned the next year, NO credit was awarded and she needed to repeat the entire year again. She graduated on time by taking exams and accelerated classes, but earned a minimal, non-college prep, diploma. Texas is rough on homeschoolers in high school.

I taught Religious Ed (third grade) at my parish, and they used Faith in Life. I always made up my own lessons, lectures, games, videos, activities to teach the concepts because I found the book boring and tedious. At home, I used Baltimore Catechism and tried out MyCatholicFaithDelivered which used the F&L series with extras like songs, prayers, quizzes and videos such online. Very reasonable for $30 a year. Both boys worked at the level between them. Since I started homeschooling, I didn't have the time and energy to plan EVERYTHING, so I gladly outsourced this to save the drive to the parish since I quit teaching RE once I started homeschooling 3 years ago.. This year we are reading the Story of the Bible from TAN so that should do it.

How about the Itch books by Simon Mayo. The main character is an element collector- lots of action and science.

My DS13 is doing a 9-week study of Civics using: 1) Civics Today textbook from Glencoe and online components as a spine. Chapters 1-11 forming of country, constitution, Federal structure, and political process 2) Crash Course US Government videos as they apply 3) Book Series Read Alouds "Kid's Guide" National Gov., World Gov, State Gov, and Local Gov. (borrow from library - https://amzn.com/1432927132) 4) "The Presidential" Game https://amzn.com/B0091NR19A 5) A few projects along the way such as: make a map of the floor during State of the Union, etc. We have already been watching CNN Student News and my husband is very much a political creature, so news coverage is part of our daily lives already.

It's not a game, but I bookmarked this site for future reference: TED videos on each element. http://ed.ted.com/periodic-videos

You are right. AoPS online classes are accredited. But, my son would crumble under the strain of completing the course under their timeline (16 weeks!)- even with the extended class (22 weeks). He needs a more relaxed pacing, such as the 32 weeks of WTM. He did fine with Pre A last year with our customized pacing (Chapter 2 was a bear!).

YMMV, but I contacted the high school prior to starting my son's 8th-grade year because he is studying two subjects at the high school level: Algebra I and Spanish I. To ensure ease of credit transfer, he is enrolled in an accredited university distance learning high school program for these two classes. He also needs to complete the EOC test this coming Spring. He's not happy about the curriculum as he is a fan of AoPS. But I didn't want to risk the school saying no to awarding credit, so we are doing it their way - a life lesson for sure. BTW - he should finish the Algebra I course in just a few months as the work is self-paced (he has already finished 1/4 of it in just 3 weeks), so he can return to his precious AoPS afterward.

I have been very happy with many subscription services I have gotten for my kids: - Learning Ally audio books. DS11 was diagnosed with a learning disability so we qualified. We read dozens of books from the service every year. It's like have a library at home. - IXL. I get the whole range of subjects. When the kids need extra practice on a grammar or math concept, I assign a 'medal' (work a topic to 70). If they get it wrong, it will explain why their answer is right. Endless, digital worksheets they can do over and over again if needed. Great for spiral review. - Tinker and Doddle Crates - will be a life saving as I will be dealing with a major medical issue this year and might not have much energy to put together labs and projects. I'll tell the kids to grab a box on my bad days and have at it! - Scholastic Magazines. I use several and it helps the kids make connections and learn more about the world around them than just a textbook. I do math, science, current events, as well as art and Spanish. Expensive, yes, but great for open and go, engaging material. I am trying a new subscription course program, Homeschool connections, for several subjects. So far, it is a little slow for my kids as the classes are recorded live internet classes from previous years. The teacher is often side-tracked by the students' behavior, questions or whatever. I figure it's training for my kids when they return to high school that not all 'lectures' will be about them, and they need to pay attention out of respect even if the material is 'boring'.

I never saw my dad read anything but the newspaper. My mom subscribed to Reader's Digest Condensed books and read them as well as other popular novels. I HATED reading as a kid. It seemed a waste of time to sit and read instead of being outside DOING something. I also didn't watch much TV for the same reason but liked movies. Seriously, I recall reading 2 books in high school--1984 and Hitchhikers Guide. All required reading was replaced with Cliff Notes. Anyways, I didn't start reading until college starting with the 'slut novels' my roommate would read select, juicy passages aloud. Then the philosophy classes sparked an interest. And a sociology major for bachelor's and master's required me to read more. Now, I read an average of 50 novels a year - mostly popular fiction and young adult but also count the classics I have now read with my kids that I avoided in my youth. I am a slow reader which annoys me otherwise it would be more. My husband doesn't read fiction. I wrote a novel-length, fan-fiction book 8 years ago. He still hasn't read it. He does read historical and computer tech books, though. My kids don't enjoy reading themselves, but love when I read aloud (over 100 titles last year). A book is the LAST thing they will pick up, well for my oldest anyways. My youngest will do so in a blue moon.

I got my family up after moonset at 1 am. We caught a few, but there was too much light to see much more, and the kids were ready to bail after 30 minutes.

The room designated as the formal dining room on our floor plan is currently our media room with big screen TV, couch, recliners, and video game consoles. We used it as a formal dining room at first, but was more functional as the media room for the past decade. We have a breakfast nook with a table to seat 6, but is currently my teacher's desk and painting studio. I have counter chairs where we eat our meals with another camp table set up in the living room for school work. Works for us!

I signed up for it since it was free and plan on perusing the topics when it opens up on Sunday. I will keep a list and see if they work as supplements to already selected curriculum.

I like long school days. Our day is growing by 30 minutes this year to fit it all in with minimal 'homework' because we love the almost an hour read aloud time over our previous 30 minutes. Our day is now 7.5 hours long. We break it up with Project Weeks every quarter (no textbooks, just fun projects, documentaries, and field trips) and average 20 field trips every year. :50 Joint Read Aloud (with 6th grade brother) 1:20 Literature Class and independent reading (30 min each), and independent work time (20 min) :40 Joint Grammar and Writing Class 1:00 Math Class and independent work (30 min each) :30 Lunch :20 Novel Study (2x week) and Study Skills/Logic Class (2x week) :40 Spanish Class and independent work (20 min each) :40 Science Class and independent work (20 min each) :40 Social Studies Class and independent work (20 min each) :20 Joint Technology Class :30 Joint CNN Student News and 'Special' (Mythology, Scholastic Magazine, Art History, Music Theory, Health) Fridays offer 1 hour sessions for nonfiction read alouds and documentaries/projects with shorter content subject times.