I'm using it with my 10 year old 5th grader, we're 6 or 7 weeks in and doing well so far. If it gets to be overwhelming we'll slow down.

4-H has some great entomology materials

Another vote for BFSU! We did all 3 volumes and it gave my kids a great foundation in science. We also did one year of Elemental Science (Biology for the Logic Stage). I liked it, but not as well as BFSU. I did pull ideas from Elemental Science, especially having them do science fair type projects.

I'll disagree with most of the previous posters and say it sounds like an attitude problem to me. My oldest was that way about school work until recently. I sat with her a lot more than should have been necessary, so that if she started being sloppy or doing a poor job on her work I could nip it in the bud immediately. I also made it very clear to her that if she didn't do her work properly and with a minimum of whining, she would lose out on things she wanted to do like play, watch tv, sports, music lessons, etc. If you think the amount of work is reasonable for your child (and it certainly looks reasonable to me for a 4th grader), then that's what she needs to do.

We are starting August 14, I think I've finally got all the details hammered out!

We are planning to start school on Aug. 14, so hopefully I've finally got this all ironed out :laugh: We don't sign up for co-op classes until later in August, so fingers crossed that he'll be able to get into all the co-op classes that he wants to take. Math: Saxon 7/6 Science: Guest Hollow Botany at home. Entomology, Nebraska Ecology, and Backyard Ballistics at Co-op History: K12 Human Odyssey Vol. 1 with student guides English: Rod & Staff English 6, Writing with Skill 1 Lit: Short list of ancient and medieval lit, since he'll be reading a lot for botany Foreign Language: Continue with First Form Latin Continue with Elementary Greek 1 Breaking the Barrier French 1 Art: Ever Ancient Ever New at home, Art class at co-op Music: Piano and Guitar

My 5th grader will be doing Ancient/Medieval History, so his reading list matches up with that. He's also doing Guest Hollow Botany, which has an extensive reading list of its own. Here's his history reading list: Maroo of the Winter Caves, by Ann Turnbull Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt, by Elizabeth Payne Egyptian Mythology, by Geraldine Pinch Hittite Warrior, by Joanne Williamson The Golden Fleece, by Padraic Colum The Children’s Homer, by Padraic Colum Galen and the Gateway to Medicine, by Jeanne Bendick The Librarian Who Measured the Earth, by Kathryn Lasky Aesop’s Fables The Ancient Celts, by Patricia Calvert The Bronze Bow, by Elizabeth George Speare Myths of the Norseman, by Roger Lancelyn Green Children of Odin, by Padraic Colum Beowulf Otto of the Silver Hand, by Howard Pyle King Arthur, by Roger Lancelyn Green Attila the Hun, by Sean Stewart Price (Wicked History) Medieval Lives, by Terry Jones Adam of the Road, by Elizabeth Janet Gray Robin Hood, by Roger Lancelyn Green The Trumpeter of Krakow, by Eric P. Kelly Medieval Medicine and the Plague, by Lynne Elliott

Any books by Ken Thomasma

We loved BFSU. We used the Kingfisher or Usborne Science Encyclopedia, and lots of online videos.

Following :lurk5:

Math: Saxon Algebra 1 English: Bravewriter Kidswrite Intermediate online (July-Aug) Rod and Staff English 8 First half of LLATL World Lit (The Ancient-Medieval sections), plus a reading list focused on world folklore and mythology History: World History to 1500 by Speilvogel Science: Holt Biology Art: Drawing Nature, Science and Culture: Natural History Illustration 101 online through edX (Jun-Aug) Ever Ancient Ever New The Annotated Mona Lisa (just the sections that line up with her history studies) Possibly an art class at the Co-op if they offer one that fits our schedule Music: Continue with Guitar lessons, hopefully take a teen "jam session" class at the co-op Add Piano lessons Foreign Language: ASL 101 (Taking right now) and ASL 102 (Fall) through CurrClick Breaking the Barrier French 1 Home Ec: Sewing, working through Martha Stewart's Cooking School cookbook, etc. Extracurriculars: 4-H (Cattle, Dog, Sewing, Quilting, Gardening, Junior Leaders), Coaching pee-wee soccer, teen sports nights at the co-op

There hasn't been much celebrating going on, as we're cleaning house top to bottom for a bridal shower I'm hosting this weekend. Maybe I'd better buy my poor kids some ice cream!

What a mess :tongue_smilie:. Math: Saxon 7/6 Science: Guest Hollow Botany History: K12 Human Odyssey Vol. 1 with student guides English: Rod & Staff English 6, Writing with Skill 1 Lit: Short list of ancient and medieval lit, since he'll be reading a lot for botany Foreign Language: Second Form Latin Elementary Greek 2 Breaking the Barrier French 1 Art: Ever Ancient Ever New Music: Piano and Guitar We'll know in June hopefully what the co-op schedule for next year is. If he takes any classes there they will be things like junk drawer robotics or elementary PE, nothing that should change his core academic plan. We also need to continue with Bible, The Fallacy Detective, etc. I think we may do those together on Sunday afternoons or something.

Now both kids are done, my oldest finished Saxon 8/7 yesterday. She is my non-mathy kid, and we are both very relieved to be done!

My DS just took the last test for Saxon 6/5, and is doing the very short final investigation now. Whoo-hoo! DD is on lesson 113 of Saxon 8/7, so she probably won't be finished until the end of next week. We didn't finish math until the end of May last year.

Those requirements are for public schools. Homeschoolers in NE have no specific requirements since we are considered non-accredited schools. You might look at Geology: A Self-Teaching Guide. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0471385905/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=USQ0HV01CGZ4&coliid=I1OTDUFAB5BAGY

I haven't used it yet, but Memoria Press has a two-year high school American History Course.

What earth science requirement? I live in Nebraska, and there are no requirements, unless you know something I don't know! :confused1:

BFSU. I did the first book the first year we homeschooled (first grader and fifth grader). It is very parent-intensive, so our second year I got nervous and we did Elemental Science Biology for the logic stage instead. It was alright, especially since we love Biology, but it just wasn't as solid as BFSU. So last year we went back to BFSU and did Volume 2, and we are currently finishing up Volume 3 with an 8th grader and 4th grader. They've made science connections that I never would have imagined for elementary/junior high, and I learned a lot right along with them. I feel like they are so well prepared for high school science!

Just when I think we've got it all figured out, I get an email from the publisher of the One Year Adventure Novel (which my DD is planning on doing later in HS) about a new program called Byline. My daughter really liked the samples she watched.

Thank you both for the feedback. I have looked through the book but it's hard to tell how long each day it will actually take my DD, and I don't know yet how much of the online stuff we will do. I'm trying to loosely plan a schedule for next year and it's stressing me out!

If your student has used Holt Biology, approximately how many hours a week did they work on it?

I did get a head's up on a few of the classes our local co-op will be offering. We haven't done co-op classes before, but my DD ended up participating in their teen sports nights and enjoyed it and got along well with the other kids. They won't publish their class list til late summer and signups probably won't be until August 1, so hopefully the classes my DD wants will work into our schedule! At home: Saxon Algebra 1, then roll into Jacob's Geometry as soon as Algebra 1 is finished. I'd like her to get through Algebra 1 & 2 and Geometry before the start of 11th grade. Holt Biology R&S English 8, the first half of LLATL Gold World Literature, CAP Writing & Rhetoric: hopefully we'll get through at least Book 6 by the end of 9th grade Duiker & Spielvogel's World History to 1500 Breaking the Barrier French 1 along with Mango online. We'll see if this is actually going to fit into the schedule, we may wait until after she's done with ASL to start French. Home Ec: Martha Stewart's Cooking School Cookbook, Chinese cooking, sewing and quilting Online: ASL Academy 101 this summer, 102 this fall. At the Co-op, hopefully: High School PE and Teen sports nights Teen Instrumental Music group (guitars, banjos, violins, etc.) DD is looking forward to the opportunity to play music with someone other than her little brother! Service projects: 4-H Junior Leaders Coaching Peewee soccer

Thank you. My daughter liked that the first semester is this summer, taking a little bit off the workload for next year. I went ahead and signed her up and ordered the book.