Congratulations on your decision! We have simplified in our homeschool and are looking to do more of it. My children are still busy but now we control the schedule instead of the schedule controlling us.

It has worked out great for a dear friend's daughter. She worked very hard to graduate early and is doing well at a local university.

This is exactly what we are looking into. We don't have the time to commit to speech and debate right now so we are looking into 4H which meets just 15 minutes away.

I agree with the recommendations you have received for Rod and Staff although I would probably start with the seventh grade book for 9th, move on to the 8th grade book for 10th, and then concentrate on utilizing grammar in 11-12th grade by writing, writing, writing...and then more writing. We started with IEW years ago for the basics and it has been very helpful. When I taught writing at a high school co-op with students who had very little writing experience, IEW was a great hit with them, particularly the boys.

We primarily use the Classical Christian method but it looks very Charlotte Mason in the early years. My primary resources are friends who have used this method for years and TWTM boards.

I would like the information about the Classical Christian History Songs by Kathy Gentili. We've used the VP cards as part of a timeline and on occasion, the info on the back as an IEW writing model.

A friend recommended this plan which is working well for us: 9th: Western Civilization I : Ancients to 1600 10th: Western Civilization II: 1600 to Present 11th: American History 12th: Government We are using Western Civ. by J. Spielvogel and TC lectures from Foundations of Western Civ. for 9-10th. The plan then is to switch to The American Pageant for US History, and for government.....not quite sure but she will participate in Teen Pact and volunteer at our local political party headquarters.

Put that in Writing was recommended to me and I was able to find it very inexpensively ....here, I believe. Also, The Lively Art of Writing and Writing for Clarity and Style also came highly recommended. If you are able to manage another class, Cindy Marsch is an excellent writing instructor and her prices are very reasonable. You can find her by googling Writing Assessments.

It came highly recommended by many veteran homeschooling friends so I decided to bite the bullet and give it a try.

We are using it this year after a friend (who is a statistian(sp?) with a degree from Harvard and a master's from Princeton) shared that he was using it with their son.

Here's our plan for 7th grade: History/Lit: Middle Ages: Using the World of Walls and The World Awakes - old textbooks from the 1960s. Incorporating various lit recommedations from friends and TWTM. English: Rod and Staff: finishing 6 and moving to 7 Spelling: Sequential Spelling Writing: Classical Writing for Older Beginners Science: Apologia General Science; also incorporating The History of Science from J. Hakem. Logic: The Fallacy Detective Christian Worldview Studies: Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris, http://www.therebelution.com , 25 Beliefs Every Christian Should Know. Be the Change by Zach Hunter.

I'm looking for a geography curriculum or just input on your favorite geography helps. If you have a favorite, please let me know. Thanks, Elaine in PA

I would love a copy of your lesson plans for the Advanced Bio. Thanks so much for the offer. Elaine in PA

I'm teaching this in a co-op setting this fall and even if it is not free, it could save me a great deal of time.

I have a 7th grader who will read this in the fall.

not this year, but it is one of my "dream" conference.

Thanks for the article link - it looks wonderful.

We were blessed to attend their final stop of the Do Hard Things conference and it was tremendous. Both of our children read the book before the conference so knew what to expect at the conference but all of us gained a great deal of knowledge and encouragement. It had a profound effect on the children.

Lial has been a winner for so many of our friends who needed a self-teaching book. Others have raved about Chalkdust materials. We used Forester's Algebra but we needed a tutor by the end.

They've been a great help to many in PA and to our family specifically. I'm sure it wouldn't suit everyone but we are thankful for them. Elaine in PA

This is exactly what I needed. Thanks, Elaine in PA

We used Foundations of Western Civilization from the Teaching Company for my dd. She would 2 lectures a week and then she reads along with the appropriate chapter from Spielvogel's Western Civilization text. We discuss the info and I'll test her periodically on the material. We also try to coordinate her literature study with the history but it is a rigid schedule so she has plentry of time to linger over what she reads.

I seem to remember SWB's favorite was Barron's SAT Prep. I used it this summer for a SAT Prep class (I only handled the verbal portion) and I found it to be excellent - great vocabulary section. Rocket Revolution received high marks from Amazon and from local families. Elaine in PA

Yep, you got a great deal. Elaine in PA

...1999 or 2000, maybe??? I first became interested in Classical Education back in 1998 when a private Christian school in area opened. Shortly after that, we pulled our dd out of a private K5 program and we became home educating her in Jan. 99, doing our best to imitate what we saw at the private school. Thankfully The Well Trained Mind came out that year. I searched the internet and came across the website back then.