We are currently working through Saxon 1/2 and our DS finds it really boring. He grasps the concepts easily and can proficiently demonstrate what he has learned when asked. But, when he has to sit and work quietly on the practice questions his boredom causes him to make an abundance of computational errors (e.g., ignoring a decimal, 1+2=12, copying a problem incorrectly, etc...). He's a bright child, so I mark any wrong answers and allow him one opportunity to fix any errors on a separate sheet of paper. Depending on his attitude he either makes all of the necessary corrections or gets lost in thought and "forgets" which answers needed to be corrected. I've cut out most of the practice questions, but he still seems pretty unmotivated by Saxon's approach. Can someone recommend a more visual 6th grade math curriculum? And, can anyone offer some tips to strengthen his computation skills?

We are going to be starting school here in a couple of weeks and we're trying to finalize the science curriculum for our 6th grader. After considering multiple different programs we decided to use Apologia's General Science, but I recently learned about Novare Physical Science. And, now I'm on the fence again. I know Novare is fairly new, but does anyone have experience with it?

Just in case you didn't find it, here is the blog link: https://corefoundations.wordpress.com/scheds-math-science/

Wow, we had no idea there were so many options out there! We have a lot to think about before we make any final decisions about next years curriculum. We appreciate the insight all of you have offered. Thanks so much!

We lived in Italy for a while and our oldest boys attended our local Italian school. As a result, they both picked up the language and speak it well. Sadly, we're getting ready to move from this amazing place, so I'm wondering if there is an Italian language program (other than Rosetta Stone) that would help them retain and practice their Italian language skills. If anyone has heard of an Italian language course, then I'd love to hear about it!

Interesting. I'd love to know why also. Thanks for your input!

We are fairly new to the classical education way of homeschooling, so we decided to get our feet wet with MP. After enjoying the curriculum this year, we decided to continue using them next year. Our DS will be starting 6th grade in the fall and we were pretty set on enrolling him in MP's online Middle School Composition course, with the intention of increasing his MP online course load as he moves into high school. Then we learned about Veritas Press and their Omnibus track. Now, we're questioning our original plan. Does anyone have any experience with either MP's online courses or VP's online courses? We're having a hard time deciding which one to choose. Also, this fall, we have a child who will enter 1st grade and a child who will enter 3rd grade. If we decided that we will choose VP for middle and high school should we teach begin teaching them with VP materials? If we stay with MP will they still be ready to start VP's Omnibus track in 7th grade? Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read this. We really appreciate any insight you may share!