Your coursework looks right on target. Maybe what you feel like you're missing is depth? Could you start a book club to discuss some of your literature with peers to go deeper? Do you have a Teen Court or debate club or something similar that will stretch your persuasive argument skills? I agree with the previous poster - you don't look behind at all. Kudos to you for taking charge of your education!

The Teacher Editions are included. The "Teacher Support Materials" are extra worksheets, tests and other helpful teaching tools which come on a CD-Rom in the back cover of the TE.

You may want to double check, but I think there's a "wall" between 6th & 7th grades for the BJU DVD's. So if you order 7th grade you can go up 2 grades, but not down since 7th-12th is considered upper level. I wanted to do this too, but was told I couldn't. You never know- maybe they will change this policy at some point? Someone let me know if they do! BTW - we enjoy BJU math. Since I'm considering ordering the 7th grade package next year and can't get 6th grade math, I'm thinking of doing 7th grade math over two years along with LOF. Something like this: Year 1: 2-3 Days/wk: BJU 7th (1st half) 2 Days/wk: LOF Fractions (fall) and LOF Decimals & Percents (spring) Year 2: 2-3 Days/wk: BJU 7th (2nd half) 2 Days/wk: LOF Pre-Algebra If you're planning to keep the DVD's for the next child, this might work you. Another consideration.... if you order the Online Option, you have access to the material for up to 18 months instead of 13 months. For example, if you start school in July or August 2011 you can access the online classes until Dec 31, 2012. However, you do not get the hard copies of the Teacher Manuals - only online versions. The Online Option is $849 ($150 less) and they allow you to buy the hard copy Teacher Editions, so maybe the price is a wash? Anyway, I'm no expert, just in the research phases for BJU 7 also. I can report that we are using BJU Math 5 with the Online Option and like it.

Beautiful Feet Guides aren't very expensive. Can you buy a guide and see if she likes it? We really enjoy Diana Waring's CD's and her curriculum uses lots of creativity to study the material. It's basically broken into 9 unit studies, spending 4 weeks on each unit for a total of 36 weeks. Here's a quote from the AIG website about each week or "phase." http://www.answersingenesis.org/PublicStore/product/History-Revealed-Ancient-Civilizations-the-Bible-Full-Family-Curriculum-Pack,5657,309.aspx In Phase 1, the student reads the unit article and then listens to fascinating stories of history told by Diana in the What in the World is Going on Here?, True Tales, and Digging Deeper audio CDs. Phase 2 focuses on exploration and discovery. The student researches a topic of his or her own choosing and also learns vocabulary and constructs a timeline. Phase 3 focuses on the geography, arts, and sciences of the period covered. It includes making maps as well as activities in science, art, architecture, cooking, and music. In Phase 4 students are encouraged to express themselves in their own unique way, choosing a project that may include writing, art, music, drama, movement, conceptual design, or other areas of expression. If you need to quicken the pace, you could spend 3 weeks on each unit instead of 4, and either eliminate the week which doesn't match your DD's learning style or combine two weeks. Just a thought.....

I think this is generally true, but some colleges do give college credit for SAT IIs. Here's a link from Texas A&M for the SAT II scores needed for credit: http://mars.tamu.edu/testingsite/PDFfiles/SATIISubjectTests.pdf

I've read that if you have too many college credits through CLEP (or Community College) that your student can be viewed as a transfer student and may impact scholarships. This evidently isn't an issue with AP or IB (International Baccalaureate) credits. I read this in a homeschooling magazine which wasn't footnoted with a reference, so I'm not sure of the validity, but I've kept the thought in the back of my mind. Here's a good discussion on College Confidential. As the previous poster stated, this discussion says the AP test is considered during admissions, but CLEP isn't. http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/home-schooling-college/85311-clep-vs-ap.html Some schools (ie: Harvard) include SAT II Subject Tests for Admissions Requirements. Harvard requires two SAT II tests and I'm sure this varies by college. As far as I know, the public universities in Texas (ie: UT & A&M) do not require SAT IIs. Some colleges specifically recommend not taking AP's or CC classes for an intended major. They don't want students to test out of the introductory classes for their major. This makes sense - it ensures continuity for coursework in the degree they issue. They recommend testing out of other general ed classes required to graduate. My DD wants to major in a life science, so she will take AP's for history, lit, and government. Hope this helps with your research. I've been contemplating this issue too.

Hi Dorinda, DD also attends Classical Conversations Challenge B classes, plus we do our own science and math at home, so one VP class is all she can squeeze in right now. She adores her CC classmates, so she's not willing to give it up for more VPSA classes. Next year she will take Omnibus III Primary at VPSA which will coordinate nicely with CC Challenge 1 (some of the same readings) and she might sign up for their Fiction Writing class. I'm also considering the Spanish class since it would provide the opportunity to speak with an instructor twice a week instead of the once per week which is typical of other co-op type classes. Overall, the way the classes are run and organized is very well structured. We like the live discussion (and I enjoy listening in too) and the concurrent, live chat room adds a whole other element of learning. Hope this helps, Ann

My DD loves her class with Rick Davis at Veritas Press Scholars Academy. She is taking Omnibus II Secondary with him and he is highly qualified, brings a lot of knowledge to the class and does an outstanding job of facilitating discussion between the students. It's a great balance of him imparting knowledge and Socratic-style discussion between the kids. He also teaches Logic and Omnibus IV. We are looking forward to DD taking more VPSA classes in the future. Their 2011/12 schedule will be posted at the end of January. And no, I'm not affiliated with VPSA in any way, other than as a parent of a student. :) http://resource2.veritaspress.com/Resources/Scholars_Online/Scholars_Online_New_Schedule_Page.html

I grade all of my DD11 work as she completes it, but I let DD14 grade her own daily work. We usually sit together to grade and discuss her tests and papers. DD14 and I share an office space, so I'm frequently in the room when she's grading and I spot check her work, but it's still her responsibility and she doesn't have free time until the grading is completed. Can you pass on some of the grading to your kids to lighten your load a bit? ETA: I'm also noticing you customized your DS's curriculum for history and science. I've done that and it's really time consuming to keep up with. It may not be an issue with only 1 at home next year (when your senior graduates) but if you have two at home next year you may want to look for more open & go type curriculum.

Overall the article is thoughtful and informative. But when I got to the end, I found the idea of a "common core curriculum" to be quite frightening. I prefer my children have an individualized education - not an assembly-line-style education. I take so much care to customize each of my children's curriculum, making selections based on their interests and learning styles. In my opinion, children deserve better than a one-size-fits-all education. I agree with the author's goal - to expose children to a wide range of topics including science, geography, etc.. at a young age so they become familiar with the language and vocabulary in each of the topics. She uses the example of Dinosaurs, which is an excellent example. Most 4-5 year olds can say Tyrannosaurus Rex, so what other vocabulary and topics can they pick up when we take the time to expose them to science, geography, etc... Isn't this the point of a Classical Education? It seems to me there's more than one way to achieve higher literacy. Of course I would choose a classical, literature-based methodology which utilizes time-tested guidelines instead of a "common core curriculum" which would be set in stone across every state. In sum, I agree with your statement: "I also came away feeling more encouraged than ever that homeschooling is the best way for us!" Me too!

I'm sure you don't want to hear this.... but what about TT? It is supposed to be geared toward the SAT. I have Foerster's Algebra 1 and love it! I agree that it's straight forward with clear explanations and clean pages. I keep it on hand and every time my non-mathy (ie: artsy) DD balks about doing math, I threaten to pull it out and teach her myself (which would probably be a disaster). I consistently read on this forum that TT Geometry is on par with other traditional Geometry programs. I find their explanations clear (though a little slow) and you can't beat their solutions - all completely spelled out, step by step on the "white board." Is this for yourself? How about Life of Fred Geometry? I don't think there are complete solutions, but it's fun to read and pretty painless to work through, especially for review.

Better Sentence Structure through Diagramming - very clear, inexpensive and well organized. On PaperBackSwap: http://www.paperbackswap.com/Better-Sentence-Structure-Through-Diagraming/book/1568221754/ BetterWorld Books: http://www.betterworldbooks.com/basic-skills-better-sentence-structure-through-diagraming-book-1-id-1568221754.aspx

BJU Life Science is fabulous! You can see a sample of the first chapter here: http://www.bjupress.com/product/228163?samplePage= I also purchased the DVD that covers all of the labs and it is excellent. It was pricey, but I can use it again with my younger DD.

:iagree: We have the book and DVD for "Feed My Sheep" by Barry Stebbing and it's an excellent program for laying a solid art foundation. We also enjoy Atelier Art and highly recommend it. Stebbing's curriculum is a bit more technical, focusses on establishing the basics and is an excellent value for the DVD instruction. Atelier tends to use a wider variety of media and is more focussed on creativity, but it's a bit pricey. Both of these can be used independently, with as little or as much parental involvement as you like. We have also used Art Adventures at Home. It is a complete, thorough curriculum, but it really needs to be taught. Level 3 covers all of the topics I remember learning in high school.

Yes. The student book makes it much more convenient, but the teacher book includes all the same info with the answers along the side of the page.

Hi! We've used both MOH and Omnibus and enjoy them both tremendously. We just started with Omnibus II this year and it's going great! It covers Middle Ages, which coincides mostly with MOH 2 & 3. I personally would put your DD in Omnibus II next year, alongside your family in MOH 3, and the following year do Omnibus III alongside MOH 4 (hopefully it will be out). Then you will all stay in synch. Also, Omnibus III includes Hitler's Mein Kampf and Marx's Communist Manifesto, which I personally think is better suited for an 8th or 9th grader - we experienced a big leap in maturity from age 12 to 13. Omnibus is VERY well organized and allows for self-study along with a CD-Rom with answers and discussion notes for the parent. However, we are really enjoying the online class offered by Veritas Press. My DD loves chatting with her classmates, the teacher is excellent and she is inspired by the peer discussion. So either way it is a great curriculum, but I wanted to add a plug for VPSA (and no, I don't work for them). :)

I'm using Henle Latin for myself right now. Year One will review and go into more details for grammar with plenty of translation. Year Two is translating original text from Caesar, St. Augustine and others. ETA: You can see the Table of Contents on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Latin-1st-Year-Henle/dp/0829410260

Is your DS somewhat advanced? Would he be intimidated by a big textbook? Could he use Conceptual Chemistry? The website is really, really helpful with video lectures by the author and worksheets with answers for each chapter. For a 7th grader, I'd only complete the first 12 chapters, so about 1 chapter every 3 weeks. The online videos go through chapter 12 and they are coordinated with the 3rd and 4th editions of the text. Completing through chapter 12 would be 430 pages in the 3rd edition, so about 12 pages per week for 36 weeks (you could go at a pretty slow pace since it's a highschool text). There are hands-on activities in the book with clear instructions. This is probably enough for middle school, though you might add a whizzy chemistry kit. But he'll do more serious labs in high school using something like the MicroChem kit. Here are a couple examples of the hands-on activities: Gumdrop Molecules Racing Temperatures Crystal Crazy (making rock candy) A Slice of Ice (A metal wire can be made to pass through a block of ice) etc... The text is friendly, written directly to the student and includes a lot diagrams and pictures. There are solutions to the odd numbered problems in the back of the text. Then maybe you can use the worksheets on the website as tests? Here's the website: http://www.conceptualchemistry.com/ You can buy a 3rd edition on Amazon, still in shrink wrap for $12.27 + shipping: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0805382216/ref=sr_1_1_olp?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291822654&sr=8-1&condition=used

IMO, you just described Teaching Textbooks. My DD13 is using TT very successfully. She is highly academic (typically scores in the 99th percentile on Stanford Achievement tests) and I specifically chose it for the clear instructions and FULL solutions. Do I wish the problems were more rigorous? Sure, but the trade-off is worth it since she is gaining a solid understanding of math and WHY math is important. We're using TT Alg 1 + 2 and calling it Algebra 1 since TT doesn't get to Quadratic Equations until Algebra 2 and that is typically an Algebra 1 level concept. TT is not for everyone. My DD10 did not like the spiral problem sets. And it does move rather slowly. How about Jacobs Algebra? There are DVDs and Solutions available: http://www.veritaspress.com/prodinfo.asp?number=103360 "Solutions Manual for Elementary Algebra Dale Callahan has collaborated with Harold Jacobs to produce a Solutions Manual for Elementary Algebra. If you're teaching from the Elementary Algebra book, you'll definitely want the solutions manual. It not only contains answers to problems, but actually shows you how to work them out. Terrific resource."

We've used CKE Chemistry, Rainbow Science and RSK 1 Chemistry. If price is not an issue, I'd highly recommend Rainbow Science, especially for a mom who isn't "naturally inclined" towards science. All of the lab materials are provided. You will cover Physics & Chemistry in one year. It is excellent for a kinesthetic learner as most of the learning occurs during the weekly labs. CKE Chemistry is good too, but a bit more work for mom. There is a complete supply list which makes it easy to buy items ahead and have them on hand. It is a pretty basic introduction geared towards 4th-8th grades. From looking at RSK 2 Chemistry on their website, the text is very thorough. It looks like there are 10 labs, which wouldn't be too hard to do in a year, but if PP is correct that the student designs their own labs, then I would hesitate to use it. It looks like the Teacher's Guide provides suggested experiments. The text looks great, and we liked Level 1. CKE and Rainbow are open & go for about 30 weeks of material. It looks like RSK needs a lesson plan?

You are 100% correct about CC Challenge classes providing a group of friends to "click with." My DD13's classmates are all wonderful and she enjoys being with her peer group every week. She is inspired and encouraged by them and I see her pushing herself to do her best in this class. It's like "iron sharpening iron." The other Moms I've spoken with have commented about the same thing. My DD13 uses another math program, but she still attends the Saxon class with CC and the reinforcement and discussion is beneficial. As PP mentioned, Henle Latin (which CC begins using in Challenge 1) is excellent. You might handle the Latin the same as the math, using CC for reinforcement. There are samples of Latin's Not So Tough on the publisher's website which might help you decide about Latin. You can see from my signature that we do CC, on top of quite a few other classes too. DD10 is extremely social, so I have to get her out of the house frequently and DD13 is highly academic, so she actually enjoys a heavy school load. My overall impression: :thumbup: Both Foundations and Challenge have been a blessing to our family. I enjoy lesson planning and have a good education myself, so I'd be happy to homeschool on my own, but CC enriches our homeschool with friends, discussion and a community. Same materials as your core at home or use something different? For DD10, I have specific goals for her and we both enjoy using open & go curriculum, so we use our own core at home and CC Foundations is mostly a supplement. The Science & Geography in Foundations is probably complete enough for a 7 year old - just add a few Usborne-type books for science. Did it add alot of extra work? When DD10 (who is not highly academic) gets to Challenge A, then CC will be her core curriculum and I may add BJU Science as we are a science oriented family (a history oriented family might add a history course). Every child in DD13's CC class is totally unique. For some, CC is all they can handle, and for others, they are adding courses on top of CC. Any other thoughts? I also agree with the PP about meeting the tutor in advance. Hope this helps. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.

We used Volume 2 last year and liked it. However, looking back, I think my DD13 would have gotten more out of it if she had been a year or two older. So I agree that it's a good idea to start with Volume 1 for early logic stage, even for an advanced student. One nice feature of Write with the Best is that it's easy to apply to any literature source. If your student needs more practice on a lesson, there are suggestions for additional examples so you can repeat the lesson with a new source. For instance, my DD had trouble getting the hang of free verse poetry. We were following the style of Emily Dickinson, so I found some more examples and we spent another week or two on that lesson. In Volume 2, the Persuasive Essay lesson using Thomas Paine was especially good. BTW, Write with the Best is also available at Christianbook.com and it's a little cheaper for the 3-ring binder format. They're offering free shipping on orders over $35 thru 12/24 (code: 313147MS)

Learning Language Arts through Literature (LLATL) Green Edition includes an outstanding introduction to Shakespeare through reading Much Ado About Nothing. It really got my DD started on the right foot with Shakespeare and she has since read Taming of the Shrew and will be reading Henry V, Midsummer Night Dream and Richard III with Omnibus this year . LLATL Green costs about $25, so it's a little pricey to buy just for a Shakespeare unit, but the book contains several literature studies, including a 6 week poetry unit that is also outstanding. As for Jane Austen, I personally would start with Emma for an 8th grader, but all of her books are lovely.

Great article! Thanks for posting.

CC has been great for our family. We've all made really good friends there and the material is excellent! My DD learns a lot of things in Foundations which she'd balk at learning at home (ie: all of the memory work). We also attend another co-op, so we're out of the house two days per week. I just plan accordingly, and we get in math at least 4 times per week. Doing CC Foundations plus another day outside of the house is totally doable. We're having a little more trouble keeping up with CC Essentials on top of everything else we do, but no problem at all with Foundations. We all look forward to CC each week!